Lovin' God
Album Information Lovin' God & Lovin' Each Other is a CD album by the Gaither Vocal Band. Members Tenor: Jonathan Pierce Lead: Guy Penrod Baritone: Mark Lowry Bass: Bill Gaither Track List Production Information © 1997 Spring Hill Spring House, Inc. Distributed by Chordant Distribution Credits Producers: Bill Gaither, Michael Sykes, Guy Penrod Production Assistant: George Hairr Additional Assistant: Trae Edwards Project Coordinator: Pamela Furr Recorded at Classic Recording Studio, Michael Sykes Productions, Quad Studios, Harv 'N Herm Studios, The Music Mill, Gaither Studios Engineered by George Hairr, Chad Evans, Lynn Fuston, Tony Castle, Tommy Cooper, Bill Warner, David Ponder Digital Editing by Lynn Fuston at 3D Audio, Nashville, TN Assistant Editors: Christopher Harris and Andreas Krause Mixed by John Guess for Guess Work Productions at The Work Station, Nashville, TN Assisted by Christopher Rowe Mastered by Marty Williams at The Work Station, Nashville, TN Strings and Brass arranged and conducted by Bergan White and Russell Mauldin Recorded at Starstruck Studios, Nashville, TN, with special thanks to Robert De La Garza Engineered by Doug Sarrett and Scott Ahaus Stylist: Ruth Johnson Graphic Design: Catherine Hollo / McConnell & Associates Photography: Russ Harrington Musicians Piano, Keyboards: Gary Prim, David Huntsinger, Jim Hammerly, John Minnick B3 Organ: Ralph Lofton Bass Guitar: Gary Lunn Guitar: John Willis, Tom Hemby, Kelly Back Acoustic Guitar: Kevin Williams Steel Guitar: John Rich Drums: Steve Brewster Harmonica, Percussion: Terry McMillan Album Identification Numbers Label: CMD5407 SPCN: 7-474-00210-8 UPC: 724382540724 Liner Notes Bill Gaither likes to call the Gaither Vocal Band's new album a "coming out party," and while I see his point, I think it's just a tad misleading. After all, the Gaither Vocal Band goes back some 20 years, and long ago established a level of prominence that would seem to make a coming-out party most unnecessary! Then again, the exceptional quality of "Lovin' God & Lovin' Each Other" is such that it really is almost like hearing the Gaither Vocal Band for the first time. No, I'm not meaning to in any way slight the group's preceding work, but the new album does indeed seem to take a giant step forward in terms of production value: Whereas the Vocal Band's sound has been understandably locked into a more traditionally southern gospel-rooted format, the sound on "Lovin' God & Lovin' Each Other"—that is, the mix of voices, instruments, and arrangements—takes the music well beyond the realm of the Gaither group's previous reach. What I'm trying to say is that on this album, the Gaither Vocal Band sounds contemporary. In other words, because of the increased production values, "Lovin' God & Lovin' Each Other" sounds comparable in production quality to any recording in any other pop music genre. But that's only part of the reason why Bill Gaither rightly cheers his band's new collection. Another, of course, is the breathtaking vocal blend of Bill, Guy Penrod, Mark Lowry, and Jonathan Pierce—though this goes pretty much without saying. Bill's always been a "good putter-together of talent," as he agrees in his typically too modest manner. "We've always had good groups and singers, but this one has such an excellent blend of voices—and the other three guys have such energy and spirit! God's been very kind to us to send us some beautiful human beings." And then there's the music. "Musically, I think we've come to the very best place," Bill continues, outlining the long effor that went into getting there. "We've never had a project that's taken this much time and care to make happen. It's been a year and a half in the making. We recorded 24 songs so that we could narrow them down to 13 great ones, like the title track, for instance, or 'Singing With the Saints' or 'Songs That Answer Questions.' It really is our best album to date." But Gaither Vocal Band albums are always excellent. So why all the work on this one? "Because we thought it was time that the Vocal Band made a strong musical statement," Bill responds. This "statement," he explains, has as much to do with the message of the songs as their newly updated musical power. "Take the title track, 'Loving God, Loving Each Other': There are many things that divide us in the Christian community, but the main commandment is to love God and each other—and that's not complicated! Jesus says, 'Love thy God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.' If you do these the other commandments basically fall in line—and that's the message of the album: There are things that we can agree and disagree on, so let's celebrate the things we can agree on!" This act of celebration, then, takes us back to the musical part of "Lovin' God & Lovin' Each Other"'s statement. "Along with the message, we're saying that there's still a wonderful place for good four-part harmony and for wonderful rhythm to accent that harmony," Bill says. And perhaps most important, he adds that there's also a place for fun and joy in the Gaither Vocal Band's music. "This album has a lot of fun and joy," he concludes with a chuckle, "in a day and time when our culture needs some good news bad!" - Jim Bessman Category:Album Category:1997